Review: 41609 Chewbacca
Posted by CapnRex101,
The most appealing BrickHeadz figures are often those which diverge from the standard template, sporting unusual clothes or elaborate hairstyles. 41609 Chewbacca definitely forms part of that category but official images of the model have not impressed me thus far.
Nevertheless, past BrickHeadz have exceeded my expectations and I hope to be pleasantly surprised on this occasion.
The Completed Model
Chewbacca is constructed around a standard BrickHeadz core and follows the standard template quite closely, albeit with a notably thick layer of plates, tiles and curved slopes around the head. I think the combination of reddish brown and medium nougat, with some dark brown depicting the Wookiee's bandoleer, looks good but the blending between colours needs improvement. The transition on the forehead seems particularly abrupt.
The texturing in certain areas could also be improved in my opinion. Reddish brown 3x4 bows are used on each side of the head and these seem very smooth in relation to the surrounding exposed studs and 1x1 slopes. However, I like the overall shape of the head and the black 1x1 quarter circle tile which depicts Chewie's nose looks reasonably faithful to the movies, although it is actually even closer to the correct shape when turned upside down!
Chewbacca wears a new bandoleer with three straps in Solo: A Star Wars Story and this is represented by two printed bricks on the front and back of the figure. These designs line up perfectly with some new dark brown 1x1 plates at the corners of the torso and a 1x2 tile on a bracket forms the satchel beneath the Wookiee's right arm.
Unusually, Chewbacca is armed with a large blaster rifle rather than his standard bowcaster. Images of 75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon also show the hero carrying a rifle so I presume this is accurate to the film. It seems strange that Chewbacca would dispense with his bowcaster after Revenge of the Sith, only to use it again during the Original Trilogy but perhaps this rifle is better suited to his role in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Overall
Certain characters seem ill-suited to the style of the BrickHeadz range and I think Chewbacca falls into that category, unfortunately. The colour scheme is excellent and I like the texturing that covers most of the model but the abrupt transitions between rough and smooth surfaces, as well as those between different colours, are disappointing.
On the other hand, this is certainly an interesting BrickHeadz figure and it really stands out in a display of several characters together. It is also pleasing to see a couple of useful pieces in new colours such as dark brown 1x1 plates and the 1x2 clips that form the hands which have not appeared in medium nougat before.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
Thanks to Huw for the photos in this review.
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36 comments on this article
Chewies head looks massive in comparison to his body!
Honestly, if i had never seen a brickheadz, i don’t think i would ever have guessed it was Chewie. ALL the others have a likeness except this one.
I'm not sure I like this one. He's just...weird.
When I assess the whole design, I can’t figure out what went wrong here. It just doesn’t look right. I agree with you that Chewbacca is just simply ill-suited for a brickheadz.
Best thing about it is the blaster...
And solo isn't much better stood next to him,
I'm sticking with the two I've got which are batman & captain America...
Might pick up Thanos but these star wars ones are a 4/10 at best.
I'm not really a fan of the Brickheadz range, in fact other the a few particularly cute ones I find them a bit creepy lol, but this one is just weird! It looks more like some sort of mixed breed puppy dog, which makes the blaster look even weirder. If I had unlimited funds to spend on Lego I'd probably collect these from a general collector perspective, but as that's not the case, my carefully spent money will go to more satisfying sets - Hulkbuster I'm looking at you! :)
Reminds me of a prairie dog with a five-head (a bit larger than a forehead).
People have been hating on this, but I like it, in spite of its flaws.
I think the thing that doesn't work is having the top of the head be much taller than it should be, instead of making the body taller. If he had a taller body and a regular-height head it would've looked much better, as that would've been proportionate. A fairly easy thing to tweak though, which I'll definitely be doing.
You question the Bowcaster being in Episode III and afterward but not is Solo, but I'm also wondering the same about his Bandolier. Some people are relieved he hasn't been wearing the same one this whole time, but they often forget about Revenge of the Sith. He had the same one, so clearly it's either common or the Empire took it for some reason and because the galaxy is so small, he happened upon it with his Bowcaster.
He's pretty cute actually!
I can't get my head around the brickheadz concept...it's just that I don't find it that interesting at least from a building technique perspective... it does get somewhat repetitive (and I have two from the SW theme, Finn and Captain Phasma).
For those that do like the brickheadz series, well continue enjoying adding to your collection.
@That_Guy8 I doubt they'll release another Han that would have a very similar design. My solution was to buy an extra copy of the Jack Sparrow BH for the printed white shirt brick, then swap black in for nougat and navy blue in for his black pants. That's 90% of the way there.
You could also buy a Finn and swap heads for a Death Star Han.
I know some people hate the idea of buying a single BH, but I've found excuses to buy a half-dozen duplicates.
I may have a problem.
I don’t know if this was intentional (i think it is though) but the new base without the printed plaque forms a brickhead face
This is the worst of the whole series. Really weird.
I love it.
@MCLegoboy - Chewbacca AND The Falcon itself present a lot of continuity problems from III to IV once we throw Solo in the mix. Personally, I think it will be easier to explain Chewie's bowcaster and bandolier than it will be to explain how The Falcon went from it's classic look in III, to its 'clean and pristine' look in Solo, back to its rundown look thereafter.
^I just figured Lando gave the Falcon a refurbishment job. Like one of those classic car junkies who repainted it, had new upholstery added, put on some "spinning rims" etc. I figure once Solo got it the harder life of a smuggler Solo was running meant that the flimsier detail pieces got lost and replaced with older stock style components (I mean, how many times has the Falcon lost its radar dish now in just the films?); the harsh planets Solo visited quickly weathered off the paint, and soiled the interior. And Solo had no reason to clean/fix it, he's a smuggler by trade not a showboater like Lando was. Lando wanted it for taking it to "car shows" and inviting his girlfriends on board to party. Solo needed it to work a day job. Its not that hard of a reason to justify the changes.
Brickheads are designed to be kinda like bobble heads, and their heads are always bigger than they should be, but this one's head is even bigger than that. I don't know, I don't collect these, but I don't mind this one.
Not sure I like this. The shaping is fine, but I don't think the curved slopes are a good idea, standard slopes or flat tiles would represent the ruffled fur better.
This is not acceptable as Chewie. Fail.
This site has really changed in the last 6 months. Little Lego news, few reviews except for Brickheadz, and new filler with the "Random Set Of The Day" now being a full story. Sad.
^ See my reply in the other article you felt it necessary to comment on.
The problem is that Lego doesn't do "organic" well, and that's hard when you're dealing the geometric objects trying to imitate curves and chaos.
Chewie is supposed to be furry and even a little unkept. This chewy is relatively smooth all over, with a few bumps here and there to simulate fur. It doesn't quite compensate for the overall package, particularly with the large, smooth auto hoods used for the head.
I am not sure how you correct this. Maybe if the auto hoods hadn't been used and they just used a lot more cheese slopes, it'd be OK.
Thanks Huw for your reply/explanation. It was just my observation. I come to this site twice a day, and still find it extremely useful. I do look here for the latest Lego news, but maybe there are other sources for that. Maybe it's a "me" problem, as I mainly collect Technic, City, Creator, and Star Wars and lose interest when it's not those. I understand you have a greater audience with many other themes to cover.
@XStrike @ xboxtravis7992
I actually find it quite easy to retcon that Corellian Frieghter in Episode III as that is exactly what the Millennium Falcon is. It is a blurry ship to fill the scene, there are similar freighters seen in Episode II on Naboo. There's also X-Wings and TIE Fighters way off in the distance toward the lower levels of the city when Anakin starts to skydive in the Speeder Chase. In Thrawn's hallway in his quarters in Rebels, you can see the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I highly doubt it's the same one from the movie, and it floated however many billion years in space and landed safely on Earth 2000 years ago. These are all easter eggs and scene fillers. They've said that it is the computer model of the Millennium Falcon but it is not the actual Millennium Falcon, at least in the new canon. There's no big panning closeup shot to make all the geeks lose their minds, it's a small little blur that resembles a Corellian Freighter.
This wasn't a target for me but, it is a good parts pack.
Maybe there should be a poll. Which is weirder looking, Solo Chewie minifigure or Solo Chewie Brickhead?
Chewie is perhaps correct overall height, but the eyes need to be higher (they are the same height as Hans.) may require a redesign to get the ratios looking better.
It looks like a dog to me.
I've never been a fan of the BH line, but I think Chewie looks great! I'm surprised by the disappointed responses.
At least this one is GREAT partpack.
Don’t really get all the complaints here; I think he looks adorable! Reminds me of some of the other cute Chewbacca toys out this year like the FurReal Friends one. Definitely one of the more creative BrickHeadz.
This might be the first Brickheadz set I pick up! I am surprised how many people dislike it.
It’s the mouth (or lack thereof).
I don't like the look of this figure. The use of the curved large part to form his head was a bad choice. I don't like the look of the figure, but I'll definitely be picking it up to supplement my collection of brown parts. It at least looks useful for that.
Ugh